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Thanks for visiting Consumerist.com. As of October 2017, Consumerist is no longer producing new content, but feel free to browse through our archives. Here you can find 12 years worth of articles on everything from how to avoid dodgy scams to writing an effective complaint letter. Check out some of our greatest hits below, explore the categories listed on the left-hand side of the page, or head to CR.org for ratings, reviews, and consumer news.

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Another reader has written in to say that after they canceled their Time Warner service, the cable company turned around and offered them much better rates if they would stay. In both this one and the one earlier this week, Time Warner Cable said that because of “special circumstances,” they were able to offer a sweet retention deal. In this case, $67/month for two years, down from $150. [More]

Have you ever looked at an Oreo? I mean, really, looked at an Oreo? Have you examined the raised curves and triangles on the cookie’s face and wondered why they’re there and why there are those holes in it? Turns out they serve purposes in both utility and design, and some of those design elements might even be traceable back to the Knights Templar during the Crusades! That’s right, the next DaVinci Code installment is going to start in a biscuit factory… [More]

Wells Fargo is the undisputed leader in Antarctic banking thanks to a pair of ATMs at McMurdo station. Despite the monopoly, the bank acts as a benevolent despot by allowing non-customers to draw cash without a surcharge. But who replenishes the stock of $20s? What happens when the ATMs break? Wells Fargo VP David Parker explained it all in a recent interview. [More]

Snazzy new bar codes are starting to adorn our fruit and vegetables to stop blurry-eyed cashiers from ringing up organic produce as the cheaper-priced regular stuff. They’re called GS1 DataBars, and they’re already appearing in select supermarkets to help consumers move faster through checkout lines.

Almost nobody reads consumer contracts before signing, according to two separate academic studies. One study from NYU included a sample contract that bound the signer to stay until dismissed, do push-ups on command, and shock other participants, even if they “screamed, cried, and asked for medical assistance.” 95.6% considered the contract for an average of two seconds and then gladly signed.

The New York Times recently published an article about those interactive voice response systems that we all hate so much, and in it we were introduced to Walter Rolandi. He designs these systems and it’s his great privilege to be able to listen to you swearing at them.

As those delicious morsels behind grocery store windows grow increasingly unaffordable, citizens become more willing to report their law-breaking neighbors to Crime Stoppers in exchange for rewards ranging from $50-$1,000. “Two or three arrests per week, you could make $700, $750 per week,” Sergeant Selfsaid. “You could make better than a minimum-wage job.”

The Boston Globe profiles the last remaining shoe and boot maker in New England, Alden Shoes. The company’s classic footwear has been worn by the likes of John F. Kennedy, Richard M. Nixon, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Indiana Jones… and the Massachusetts state troopers. The shoes will set you back about $350-$500 a pair, but they seem like awfully nice people. “Our shoes don’t wear out,” says Robert Clark, Alden’s vice president. [Boston Globe]

Billy wanted to maximize the value of his coupon for one free drink at Starbucks. But which tongue-twisting truffle-invoking concoction to request? Billy decided on a Venti Soy Hazelnut Vanilla Cinnamon White Mocha with extra White Mocha and caramel—plus 13 espresso shots. How did the $13.76 potion taste?